The Complete 2019 Lviv Datasheet
After an extended stay of over a year in Lviv, I present to you virtually everything I can say about the town.
This site has helped me so much over the years, so I wanted to give back in the best way possible: by sharing my experiences.
BACKGROUND:
Lviv is not exactly the type of place that many Western guys are keen on visiting.
It is a smaller, second-tier town in Ukraine that lacks the big-city feel of Kyiv and the beachfront benefits of Odessa. It is home to just under 750,000, many of whom live on the outskirts of a rather small city center. The primary spoken language is Ukrainian, not Russian. While nearly every single person here speaks both languages, they speak Ukrainian in daily life. I speak neither fluently, but a small amount of Ukrainian after spending so much time here.
The town has been under control of various regimes over the years. Historically under Austrian, Polish, German and Soviet rule, the city has been home to a great deal of history. A recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, much of Lviv is home to stunning architecture. During WWII, Hitler liked Lviv’s architecture so much that he specifically ordered no bombing to take place as he wanted it for the German people. I didn't think I could give a damn about architecture, and even I was fascinated by the aesthetics here.
Often referred to as the cultural capital of Ukraine, much of the city center feels more like Paris or Vienna than what you would expect Ukraine to be like. Of course, a short walk down many of the town’s side streets and you are quickly reminded you are in the Former Soviet Union.
VISA SITUATION:
Americans can only stay here for three months out of every six months. While you used to be able to overstay your visa, I’ve met people who have been banned from Ukraine for an entire year for doing this. Border runs are also a thing of the past, supposedly. While you can break the law here, I don’t suggest it, as it would be pretty terrible to get banned from a place like this.
I have a contact who specializes in setting people up with temporary residence permits. Setup fees are around $1500. I did this, and it’s allowed me to stay as long as I’ve wanted.
You can DM me if you want more information about that.
COSTS:
Lviv is one of the cheapest cities in Europe right now. According to Numbeo, it is 404 out of the 441 surveyed areas regarding total cost of living.
I regularly meet people traveling from other places in Eastern Europe, South America, and even Asia and they all say that this is the cheapest place they have ever seen, one guy even claiming more than Thailand/Vietnam.
For perspective, one beer is typically 30 hryvnia ($1) (pronounced GRIEVNA). A cocktail at an upscale nightclub or lounge should run you no more than 130 hryvnias, TOPS ($5). Schwarma on the street can be purchased for 50 hryvnias ($2). A 20GB cell phone data plan with LifeCell is 100 UAH each month ($4). My apartment costs $370 a month, plus bills which are no more than $35, $60 in the winter time.
They don’t take dollars. Get an international checking account and withdraw money at the ATMs.
If you haven’t already noticed, come here with even a meager online salary, and you’re golden. The local people typically make about $400-$600 a month and seem to live just fine on it.
A fancy dinner for two (two appetizers, entrees and drinks) should run right in the neighborhood of 1000 hryvnias (about $45). Mid-range restaurants are even less.
Here are a few tales to show you just how cheap Lviv is…
After a night of drinking, four friends and I once played “credit card roulette” to see who would be picking up the bill after eating at a Georgian restaurant. Mine was chosen, and I was stuck footing the bill…for 875 UAH (about $30).
That’s four entrees, two appetizers, two beers, four bottles of mineral water for $30.
I was not even upset. I happily paid.
I once went to a strip club with two friends, a slight rarity for me. We went in. We were there for 3 hours, drank pretty endlessly, kept ordering lap dances, the whole shebang. Well well, my friend’s wallet ended up getting lost that night, and I was left footing the bill. I was honestly scared, having heard horror stories of strip clubs ripping off tourists.
It was $150 in total. Crazy.
All in all, I live comfortably for about $1200 a month.
HOUSING:
Fun fact: Virtually everyone here “owns” an apartment, as during Soviet times people were eligible to continuously reapply for additional apartments every few years. It’s not unusual to meet people who own three properties that have been in their families for decades.
If you’re into the finer things, I once toured a three-floor luxury apartment here that would have cost me all of $750 a month. I’m not hesitating when I say it was one of the most beautiful apartments I have ever seen. Mind you; these are prices I obtained by having Ukrainian speaking friends look around for me, not through Airbnb.
Should you choose to live outside of the City Center, you can find similar places for maybe $200 less.
Airbnb is a horrible deal, but looking for an apartment here is fucking difficult for the long haul. There is a whole industry of “real estate agents,” who are people whose job it is to connect people who own properties with people looking to rent. It is an antiquated model of doing business, and they typically as for at least 50% of one month’s rent as their little token for finding you the place. This makes popping in and out of Lviv at your leisure somewhat hard.
If you want to stay for six months, dropping half of a month’s rent as a finders fee isn’t too bad, and will still save money and get you a nicer place compared to Airbnb.
For less than a few months, Airbnb is still the best way to find a quick apartment, but attempt to negotiate the price with the owner and get them to switch to you paying them in cash, outside of the website of the website after a month’s stay. They will still overcharge you compared to a local, but that's okay for a short term stay.
You can always try OLX.UA, the Ukrainian craigslist, for longer-term arrangements, though you will find plenty of bait and switch schemes, real estate agents who want your money, and legitimate places all in one. Proceed with caution.
As they say, it’s Ukraine.
LOGISTICS:
Lviv is extremely small, so there is no metro. There are the standard, soviet Marshrutka's (small busses) that you can take and a streetcar as well for something like 5 UAH. Unfortunately, using these typically requires telling the driver where you are going and paying the fee.
For someone who does not speak the language, I do not even bother, and I take Uber if I need to. Local taxies are a racket, and they will gladly overcharge you if you can even communicate with them. Avoid taking them unless you are with locals. Use Uber. It’s very popular.
In typical Ukrainian style, walking is the norm here.
The girls love it.
WOMEN, PART 1:
Lviv epitomizes what Roosh refers to as “second tier Ukraine.”
Half of the girls speak English, the other speak Ukrainian and Russian. This will be your biggest deterrent towards meeting women.
They are not always receptive to standard American game, meaning puns, sarcasm and humor. Read Bang Ukraine to find out more.
I would say the average “cute” girl here is a hard 7, soft 8. The talent is better in Kyiv, looks wise. You will regularly see girls who are married by 22 with children, pushing a stroller down the street and still looking damn fine. Long hair, slender bodies, makeup, and impeccable style are standard.
It is not at all uncommon to find girls as old as 21 that are virgins, 28-year-olds who have been with one man ever (so they claim), and women who expect you to take control as the man so they can comfortably fall into your frame and be led. If I wanted a wife, I’d probably look here. I kid you not.
After hearing the doom and gloom talks about cultural degeneracy all the time and it being impossible to find inexperienced, virginal girls, I can't help but laugh. It just seems ridiculous to me when a place like this exists. I encounter girls like this all the time. Granted, they don't stay like this for more than a few years. Get them young.
For perspective: I was here for 3 hours when I cold approached a girl in the city center, using the “do you speak English” line. I told her I was looking for a specific street, shifted the conversation into how I’m traveling and was wondering if she would like to show me around the town. After a series of dates, she became my 19-year-old girlfriend who had no experience with men whatsoever. What followed was a relationship where she cooked for me (albeit not well at first, I had to show her how), cleaned my house and did whatever else I asked her. A truly loving, kind, appreciative girl who did her best to make me happy.
I met her in a few hours of roaming the streets. Go approach! Daygame is the move here.
ONS is not typical in Lviv, but possible if your game is super tight. I hate to break it to everyone who is looking to come here for a week and clean up, but my first trip of four days yielded me little more than a few makeouts. On top of that, they have a deep dislike of the Turkish people and people who look Arabic. As a black guy, I wouldn’t try coming here either as racism is an everyday occurrence, though there is a small African community.
Girls expect to be taken on dates. The three date rule that Roosh outlines in Bang Ukraine is typically the way it goes when meeting slightly more “liberated” girls, but don't be put off if it takes a few more! Do the work. It's a traditional town.
It can be fun, too. I find it comically strange that many of the girls I meet just don’t seem to be getting much attention from men, and when I take them out for drinks, invite them to my house to cook, or even go for a walk around the town, it is like they are relishing in some crazy new experience.
Being a Westerner who has the resources to take a girl out even on modest dates puts you in a higher category than many of the local guys. Then again, Ukrainian guys can be very well dressed, smooth, and skillful with girls. Lots of guys that I have met here have an innate game that many Americans do not.
Bang Ukraine outlines the general MO of Ukrainian girls and how to talk to them. While I would disagree with the book in saying that Lviv is not as extractive and harsh as the rest of the country, it's chock full of useful info despite being a few years old now.
I watch American dudes roll up to Lviv occasionally, wearing beat-up trainers and t-shirts thinking they’re gonna kill it. One guy even had a fedora.
Of course, they got smoked and left with the idea that “Ukrainian girls are bitches.”
As they say, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Bring your a-game here.
WOMEN, PART 2:
While many people are decrying the “fall” of Eastern Europe in recent years with the popularity of the smartphone, let me tell you that it is still 100% better in Lviv than in the United States. Feminism is a foreign term to most Lviv girls. Although many women here aspire to have a career (where they make low $500 a month), most women want to have a family and assume traditional gender roles.
On the same token, you certainly have your sluts, gold diggers, and other nefarious personality types. I have watched my friends get played by the short skirt, cleavage sporting, flirtatious euro sluts who use them as a wallet and source of novelty while they continue with their romances with the local guys. If you’re a lousy judge of character, you could get taken for a ride here pretty quickly.
Having a few chicks on rotation in Lviv is not easy, but it is doable. You have to get into the habit of going on lots of dates. Again, Bang Ukraine outlines some ideas here. What is most challenging about this, however, is the size of Lviv. The town is small enough that you could very well run into one of your plates, or even one of her friends while out with another.
Regardless, you’re running risks when dating multiple girls anywhere. I'd say go for it anyways.
VENUES / NIGHTLIFE:
This isn’t much of a “going out” type of town. The best thing you can do for approaching at night is doing a rotation between the main square, a few of the bars that are close by, and then hit a club if you want to. The town is small enough to walk between all four.
It is also worth knowing that there is not much of a typical “bar scene” here, as Ukrainian people prefer to sit at a table with friends while drinking. This can make socializing a bit harder in these places.
I’d say Lviv not so great if you're a party person, but here’s a list of some spots worth knowing about.
Google these, as I’m not going to hyperlink for you. Do some research!
NIGHTCLUBS:
1. Malevich - This is the best night club in all of Western Ukraine. It directly rivals what I’ve seen in major cities. Recently built, absolutely gigantic, state of the art sound, lighting, etc. DJs play hype-y, mainstream Electronic Music. For a typical club experience, you won’t go wrong. The talent here is STUNNING, better than what I’ve seen in Vegas even. I’m sure some of them are prostitutes (semi and pro), but this is where all of the younger girls are going now. I believe it is open most nights of the week with a decent enough crowd. Go here.
2. Fashion Club - This used to be the spot in Lviv, but not anymore. It certainly attracts some decent crowds, is centrally located next to Rynok Square, and sports some decent talent. The room is physically much smaller than Malevich, and there is a big outdoor terrace where approaching is possible away from the music. Worth checking out on the weekends.
3. Rafinad - This place is shit. Tacky, Turkish space located in a decorated basement. I have seen guys pull from here though, so it would be worth a look, but don’t expect to enjoy yourself. Clubs like this often pay “models” to hang out there and be receptive to approaches.
4, Metro - Pretty shit club, awful music, but very possible to pull from here. Very Turkish, but I've met some stunners on the terrace.
5. Picasso - Similar to Metro. Proceed with caution, not that great. Often student parties go here.
Side note: There are great pop up raves, rooftop parties, and other genuinely cool events in Lviv thrown by independent party promoters. Check Resident Advisor, Facebook and Google for these. It is very much a nice, slightly-hipster scene. This is the jet-setting, international crowd in Lviv, many of who speak English.
BARS:
1. The Drunk Cherry: Probably the first place you should visit in Lviv. They serve a homemade cherry liquor they make on site. Right on the main square, everyone stands around outside drinking. Solid place to mix and mingle, everyone stops here.
2. Pravda Beer Theater: Decent hangout for starting the night, a giant building with a brewery inside.
3. Rest Bar 13: Small bar near the square, underground. Somewhat of a hipster vibe, good cocktails, worth popping in. I've met a few girls in the smoking room.
4. Masoch Cafe: A BDSM themed bar. Weird, right? Mostly touristy, and if you go there, you could very well get chosen to be tortured by a waitress, who will take your shirt off, whip you, and pour hot candle wax on you while everyone watches. You have been warned.
5. Choven: Beer pub. Big hangout on Saturday nights.
6. Jäger Bar: A bar that has seemingly jacked the Jagermeister name. Craft cocktails, lovely scenery, decent food. Good for dates.
8. The Room Wine Bar: One of the coolest, most hipster spots in town. Decent cocktails, but all the girls love coming here because of the “vibe.” It is tiny, tiny, but a good place for dates.
9. Bar 44: Another craft cocktail spot that’s good for dates and right on the square.
COFFEE SHOPS:
The best one is Svit Kavy on Rynok Square. You can even run a little bit of game here and meet girls. The mayor of the town is often here, as are the city's power players.
Lviv Coffee Manufacture is also worth checking out, but more for going to do work.
BANYA:
GO TO A BANYA WHILE HERE!
Banya’s are open 24/7, and you can rent an entire private sauna for about $10 an hour. A great move if you’re tired of going drinking and you want to relax. I do this with my friends regularly. You can even bring girls, but most Lviv girls wouldn’t dare to go to one as the prevailing idea is that only prostitutes go to banya with men.
Banya Fortuna is my favorite one, some of the other ones can be pretty shitty. You have to have a Ukrainian person call and speak to them to set up the appointment usually.
RESOURCES:
http://www.OLX.UA - The Ukrainian craigslist. You can buy most things on here you may need and find apartments. Again, the language barrier may or may not be a problem for you.
There are expat groups in Lviv that meet regularly if you want people to talk to. Use Facebook to find them. Few cool folks, not an overwhelmingly great scene.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
You can get the best haircut of your life at Fat Tony’s Barbershop in the town center for 400UAH (about $17). I’m not joking. It’s incredible. Beard trim, Italian products, and a shave for this price for a one-hour appointment. Book an appointment with the head barber at their website. They speak enough English, and show them a picture of what you want.
Dental dare in Lviv is also extremely good and dirt cheap. I had two veneers repaired here for $150 at Rikota Clinic. Incredible work.
Olympus Premium is an extremely affordable gym for $15 a month that’s near Rynok Square. Eurosport is another that is $60, but extremely nice inside.
Kings Cross Leopolis and Victoria Gardens are two malls near the city that you can take Uber to for buying clothes, and running game if that is your style. They're located in the middle of nowhere, though.
Victoria Gardens has a nice Ramen restaurant and a video arcade that is mostly for kids...but can be a cute date spot if your girl is playful like that.
SHOULD YOU GO:
As I said before, Lviv is the cheapest town in Europe. It’s right on par with Pakistan and India price wise, minus higher rents for tourists. You get to live in one of the most architecturally beautiful places for a ridiculously low price, eat excellent food, and take in all the town has to offer for less than $1200 month. Uber rides are $2-4 usually. Budget airlines have just moved in, so the rest of Europe is just a plane ride away.
The problem is, the town doesn’t offer that much beyond this. How many times can you do the typical nightlife rotation here before getting bored? The expat scene is tiny, so making friends can be hard. Half the population speaks English, and the other half insists on speaking Ukrainian. Learning Russian is possible, but most people will not want to talk it with you. This leaves the option of learning Ukrainian, which is not a great expenditure of your time, in my opinion.
CONCLUSION:
Personally, Lviv was perfect for me. I needed to step back from all the partying I had done for years prior, work on building up my finances, work on my body, and understand what it’s like to live in a traditional culture with regular people who have not been destroyed by Westernization.
When I first arrived…I had some severe scars from being in bad relationships, abusing my body with rampant drug and alcohol use, and finances that had been decimated from living in major cities in Western Europe. I was thoroughly mixed up at this point in my life, and seriously at risk for going downhill fast.
Since then, I paid off my student loans and built up a nice cushion of emergency money. I gained 30 pounds (mostly muscle) thanks to inexpensive proteins and lots of free time to hit the gym. Illegal drugs aren’t as common here minus weed, so I nipped most of my bad habits in the bud right then and there.
And of course, I met a great lady who has been the best girl I’ve ever dated in my life. She showed me how a genuine relationship is supposed to be. Lviv forever has an exceptional place in my heart.
Today, I emerge as a new person. Everyone who knows me when I first came here tells me I’m unrecognizable today from how I was then. I can thank this town for that.
In the end, I’ve found that where you live should directly tie into what exactly it is you are doing in life. For this reason, I’m parting ways with Lviv for now, as it is not serving my mission in the same way it was last year with getting my life back on track. This is sad, but all things must come to an end.
That is not to say I will never come back. In the back of my mind, I know I can always come back here, and feel right at home.
For someone looking to lay low for a bit, run some game, and devote some time to self-development, Lviv is genuinely a great town. A five-star lifestyle is possible for a two-star price.
Lviv healed me, and I hope some of you go on to have a special relationship with it as I have.
After an extended stay of over a year in Lviv, I present to you virtually everything I can say about the town.
This site has helped me so much over the years, so I wanted to give back in the best way possible: by sharing my experiences.
BACKGROUND:
Lviv is not exactly the type of place that many Western guys are keen on visiting.
It is a smaller, second-tier town in Ukraine that lacks the big-city feel of Kyiv and the beachfront benefits of Odessa. It is home to just under 750,000, many of whom live on the outskirts of a rather small city center. The primary spoken language is Ukrainian, not Russian. While nearly every single person here speaks both languages, they speak Ukrainian in daily life. I speak neither fluently, but a small amount of Ukrainian after spending so much time here.
The town has been under control of various regimes over the years. Historically under Austrian, Polish, German and Soviet rule, the city has been home to a great deal of history. A recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, much of Lviv is home to stunning architecture. During WWII, Hitler liked Lviv’s architecture so much that he specifically ordered no bombing to take place as he wanted it for the German people. I didn't think I could give a damn about architecture, and even I was fascinated by the aesthetics here.
Often referred to as the cultural capital of Ukraine, much of the city center feels more like Paris or Vienna than what you would expect Ukraine to be like. Of course, a short walk down many of the town’s side streets and you are quickly reminded you are in the Former Soviet Union.
VISA SITUATION:
Americans can only stay here for three months out of every six months. While you used to be able to overstay your visa, I’ve met people who have been banned from Ukraine for an entire year for doing this. Border runs are also a thing of the past, supposedly. While you can break the law here, I don’t suggest it, as it would be pretty terrible to get banned from a place like this.
I have a contact who specializes in setting people up with temporary residence permits. Setup fees are around $1500. I did this, and it’s allowed me to stay as long as I’ve wanted.
You can DM me if you want more information about that.
COSTS:
Lviv is one of the cheapest cities in Europe right now. According to Numbeo, it is 404 out of the 441 surveyed areas regarding total cost of living.
I regularly meet people traveling from other places in Eastern Europe, South America, and even Asia and they all say that this is the cheapest place they have ever seen, one guy even claiming more than Thailand/Vietnam.
For perspective, one beer is typically 30 hryvnia ($1) (pronounced GRIEVNA). A cocktail at an upscale nightclub or lounge should run you no more than 130 hryvnias, TOPS ($5). Schwarma on the street can be purchased for 50 hryvnias ($2). A 20GB cell phone data plan with LifeCell is 100 UAH each month ($4). My apartment costs $370 a month, plus bills which are no more than $35, $60 in the winter time.
They don’t take dollars. Get an international checking account and withdraw money at the ATMs.
If you haven’t already noticed, come here with even a meager online salary, and you’re golden. The local people typically make about $400-$600 a month and seem to live just fine on it.
A fancy dinner for two (two appetizers, entrees and drinks) should run right in the neighborhood of 1000 hryvnias (about $45). Mid-range restaurants are even less.
Here are a few tales to show you just how cheap Lviv is…
After a night of drinking, four friends and I once played “credit card roulette” to see who would be picking up the bill after eating at a Georgian restaurant. Mine was chosen, and I was stuck footing the bill…for 875 UAH (about $30).
That’s four entrees, two appetizers, two beers, four bottles of mineral water for $30.
I was not even upset. I happily paid.
I once went to a strip club with two friends, a slight rarity for me. We went in. We were there for 3 hours, drank pretty endlessly, kept ordering lap dances, the whole shebang. Well well, my friend’s wallet ended up getting lost that night, and I was left footing the bill. I was honestly scared, having heard horror stories of strip clubs ripping off tourists.
It was $150 in total. Crazy.
All in all, I live comfortably for about $1200 a month.
HOUSING:
Fun fact: Virtually everyone here “owns” an apartment, as during Soviet times people were eligible to continuously reapply for additional apartments every few years. It’s not unusual to meet people who own three properties that have been in their families for decades.
If you’re into the finer things, I once toured a three-floor luxury apartment here that would have cost me all of $750 a month. I’m not hesitating when I say it was one of the most beautiful apartments I have ever seen. Mind you; these are prices I obtained by having Ukrainian speaking friends look around for me, not through Airbnb.
Should you choose to live outside of the City Center, you can find similar places for maybe $200 less.
Airbnb is a horrible deal, but looking for an apartment here is fucking difficult for the long haul. There is a whole industry of “real estate agents,” who are people whose job it is to connect people who own properties with people looking to rent. It is an antiquated model of doing business, and they typically as for at least 50% of one month’s rent as their little token for finding you the place. This makes popping in and out of Lviv at your leisure somewhat hard.
If you want to stay for six months, dropping half of a month’s rent as a finders fee isn’t too bad, and will still save money and get you a nicer place compared to Airbnb.
For less than a few months, Airbnb is still the best way to find a quick apartment, but attempt to negotiate the price with the owner and get them to switch to you paying them in cash, outside of the website of the website after a month’s stay. They will still overcharge you compared to a local, but that's okay for a short term stay.
You can always try OLX.UA, the Ukrainian craigslist, for longer-term arrangements, though you will find plenty of bait and switch schemes, real estate agents who want your money, and legitimate places all in one. Proceed with caution.
As they say, it’s Ukraine.
LOGISTICS:
Lviv is extremely small, so there is no metro. There are the standard, soviet Marshrutka's (small busses) that you can take and a streetcar as well for something like 5 UAH. Unfortunately, using these typically requires telling the driver where you are going and paying the fee.
For someone who does not speak the language, I do not even bother, and I take Uber if I need to. Local taxies are a racket, and they will gladly overcharge you if you can even communicate with them. Avoid taking them unless you are with locals. Use Uber. It’s very popular.
In typical Ukrainian style, walking is the norm here.
The girls love it.
WOMEN, PART 1:
Lviv epitomizes what Roosh refers to as “second tier Ukraine.”
Half of the girls speak English, the other speak Ukrainian and Russian. This will be your biggest deterrent towards meeting women.
They are not always receptive to standard American game, meaning puns, sarcasm and humor. Read Bang Ukraine to find out more.
I would say the average “cute” girl here is a hard 7, soft 8. The talent is better in Kyiv, looks wise. You will regularly see girls who are married by 22 with children, pushing a stroller down the street and still looking damn fine. Long hair, slender bodies, makeup, and impeccable style are standard.
It is not at all uncommon to find girls as old as 21 that are virgins, 28-year-olds who have been with one man ever (so they claim), and women who expect you to take control as the man so they can comfortably fall into your frame and be led. If I wanted a wife, I’d probably look here. I kid you not.
After hearing the doom and gloom talks about cultural degeneracy all the time and it being impossible to find inexperienced, virginal girls, I can't help but laugh. It just seems ridiculous to me when a place like this exists. I encounter girls like this all the time. Granted, they don't stay like this for more than a few years. Get them young.
For perspective: I was here for 3 hours when I cold approached a girl in the city center, using the “do you speak English” line. I told her I was looking for a specific street, shifted the conversation into how I’m traveling and was wondering if she would like to show me around the town. After a series of dates, she became my 19-year-old girlfriend who had no experience with men whatsoever. What followed was a relationship where she cooked for me (albeit not well at first, I had to show her how), cleaned my house and did whatever else I asked her. A truly loving, kind, appreciative girl who did her best to make me happy.
I met her in a few hours of roaming the streets. Go approach! Daygame is the move here.
ONS is not typical in Lviv, but possible if your game is super tight. I hate to break it to everyone who is looking to come here for a week and clean up, but my first trip of four days yielded me little more than a few makeouts. On top of that, they have a deep dislike of the Turkish people and people who look Arabic. As a black guy, I wouldn’t try coming here either as racism is an everyday occurrence, though there is a small African community.
Girls expect to be taken on dates. The three date rule that Roosh outlines in Bang Ukraine is typically the way it goes when meeting slightly more “liberated” girls, but don't be put off if it takes a few more! Do the work. It's a traditional town.
It can be fun, too. I find it comically strange that many of the girls I meet just don’t seem to be getting much attention from men, and when I take them out for drinks, invite them to my house to cook, or even go for a walk around the town, it is like they are relishing in some crazy new experience.
Being a Westerner who has the resources to take a girl out even on modest dates puts you in a higher category than many of the local guys. Then again, Ukrainian guys can be very well dressed, smooth, and skillful with girls. Lots of guys that I have met here have an innate game that many Americans do not.
Bang Ukraine outlines the general MO of Ukrainian girls and how to talk to them. While I would disagree with the book in saying that Lviv is not as extractive and harsh as the rest of the country, it's chock full of useful info despite being a few years old now.
I watch American dudes roll up to Lviv occasionally, wearing beat-up trainers and t-shirts thinking they’re gonna kill it. One guy even had a fedora.
Of course, they got smoked and left with the idea that “Ukrainian girls are bitches.”
As they say, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Bring your a-game here.
WOMEN, PART 2:
While many people are decrying the “fall” of Eastern Europe in recent years with the popularity of the smartphone, let me tell you that it is still 100% better in Lviv than in the United States. Feminism is a foreign term to most Lviv girls. Although many women here aspire to have a career (where they make low $500 a month), most women want to have a family and assume traditional gender roles.
On the same token, you certainly have your sluts, gold diggers, and other nefarious personality types. I have watched my friends get played by the short skirt, cleavage sporting, flirtatious euro sluts who use them as a wallet and source of novelty while they continue with their romances with the local guys. If you’re a lousy judge of character, you could get taken for a ride here pretty quickly.
Having a few chicks on rotation in Lviv is not easy, but it is doable. You have to get into the habit of going on lots of dates. Again, Bang Ukraine outlines some ideas here. What is most challenging about this, however, is the size of Lviv. The town is small enough that you could very well run into one of your plates, or even one of her friends while out with another.
Regardless, you’re running risks when dating multiple girls anywhere. I'd say go for it anyways.
VENUES / NIGHTLIFE:
This isn’t much of a “going out” type of town. The best thing you can do for approaching at night is doing a rotation between the main square, a few of the bars that are close by, and then hit a club if you want to. The town is small enough to walk between all four.
It is also worth knowing that there is not much of a typical “bar scene” here, as Ukrainian people prefer to sit at a table with friends while drinking. This can make socializing a bit harder in these places.
I’d say Lviv not so great if you're a party person, but here’s a list of some spots worth knowing about.
Google these, as I’m not going to hyperlink for you. Do some research!
NIGHTCLUBS:
1. Malevich - This is the best night club in all of Western Ukraine. It directly rivals what I’ve seen in major cities. Recently built, absolutely gigantic, state of the art sound, lighting, etc. DJs play hype-y, mainstream Electronic Music. For a typical club experience, you won’t go wrong. The talent here is STUNNING, better than what I’ve seen in Vegas even. I’m sure some of them are prostitutes (semi and pro), but this is where all of the younger girls are going now. I believe it is open most nights of the week with a decent enough crowd. Go here.
2. Fashion Club - This used to be the spot in Lviv, but not anymore. It certainly attracts some decent crowds, is centrally located next to Rynok Square, and sports some decent talent. The room is physically much smaller than Malevich, and there is a big outdoor terrace where approaching is possible away from the music. Worth checking out on the weekends.
3. Rafinad - This place is shit. Tacky, Turkish space located in a decorated basement. I have seen guys pull from here though, so it would be worth a look, but don’t expect to enjoy yourself. Clubs like this often pay “models” to hang out there and be receptive to approaches.
4, Metro - Pretty shit club, awful music, but very possible to pull from here. Very Turkish, but I've met some stunners on the terrace.
5. Picasso - Similar to Metro. Proceed with caution, not that great. Often student parties go here.
Side note: There are great pop up raves, rooftop parties, and other genuinely cool events in Lviv thrown by independent party promoters. Check Resident Advisor, Facebook and Google for these. It is very much a nice, slightly-hipster scene. This is the jet-setting, international crowd in Lviv, many of who speak English.
BARS:
1. The Drunk Cherry: Probably the first place you should visit in Lviv. They serve a homemade cherry liquor they make on site. Right on the main square, everyone stands around outside drinking. Solid place to mix and mingle, everyone stops here.
2. Pravda Beer Theater: Decent hangout for starting the night, a giant building with a brewery inside.
3. Rest Bar 13: Small bar near the square, underground. Somewhat of a hipster vibe, good cocktails, worth popping in. I've met a few girls in the smoking room.
4. Masoch Cafe: A BDSM themed bar. Weird, right? Mostly touristy, and if you go there, you could very well get chosen to be tortured by a waitress, who will take your shirt off, whip you, and pour hot candle wax on you while everyone watches. You have been warned.
5. Choven: Beer pub. Big hangout on Saturday nights.
6. Jäger Bar: A bar that has seemingly jacked the Jagermeister name. Craft cocktails, lovely scenery, decent food. Good for dates.
8. The Room Wine Bar: One of the coolest, most hipster spots in town. Decent cocktails, but all the girls love coming here because of the “vibe.” It is tiny, tiny, but a good place for dates.
9. Bar 44: Another craft cocktail spot that’s good for dates and right on the square.
COFFEE SHOPS:
The best one is Svit Kavy on Rynok Square. You can even run a little bit of game here and meet girls. The mayor of the town is often here, as are the city's power players.
Lviv Coffee Manufacture is also worth checking out, but more for going to do work.
BANYA:
GO TO A BANYA WHILE HERE!
Banya’s are open 24/7, and you can rent an entire private sauna for about $10 an hour. A great move if you’re tired of going drinking and you want to relax. I do this with my friends regularly. You can even bring girls, but most Lviv girls wouldn’t dare to go to one as the prevailing idea is that only prostitutes go to banya with men.
Banya Fortuna is my favorite one, some of the other ones can be pretty shitty. You have to have a Ukrainian person call and speak to them to set up the appointment usually.
RESOURCES:
http://www.OLX.UA - The Ukrainian craigslist. You can buy most things on here you may need and find apartments. Again, the language barrier may or may not be a problem for you.
There are expat groups in Lviv that meet regularly if you want people to talk to. Use Facebook to find them. Few cool folks, not an overwhelmingly great scene.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
You can get the best haircut of your life at Fat Tony’s Barbershop in the town center for 400UAH (about $17). I’m not joking. It’s incredible. Beard trim, Italian products, and a shave for this price for a one-hour appointment. Book an appointment with the head barber at their website. They speak enough English, and show them a picture of what you want.
Dental dare in Lviv is also extremely good and dirt cheap. I had two veneers repaired here for $150 at Rikota Clinic. Incredible work.
Olympus Premium is an extremely affordable gym for $15 a month that’s near Rynok Square. Eurosport is another that is $60, but extremely nice inside.
Kings Cross Leopolis and Victoria Gardens are two malls near the city that you can take Uber to for buying clothes, and running game if that is your style. They're located in the middle of nowhere, though.
Victoria Gardens has a nice Ramen restaurant and a video arcade that is mostly for kids...but can be a cute date spot if your girl is playful like that.
SHOULD YOU GO:
As I said before, Lviv is the cheapest town in Europe. It’s right on par with Pakistan and India price wise, minus higher rents for tourists. You get to live in one of the most architecturally beautiful places for a ridiculously low price, eat excellent food, and take in all the town has to offer for less than $1200 month. Uber rides are $2-4 usually. Budget airlines have just moved in, so the rest of Europe is just a plane ride away.
The problem is, the town doesn’t offer that much beyond this. How many times can you do the typical nightlife rotation here before getting bored? The expat scene is tiny, so making friends can be hard. Half the population speaks English, and the other half insists on speaking Ukrainian. Learning Russian is possible, but most people will not want to talk it with you. This leaves the option of learning Ukrainian, which is not a great expenditure of your time, in my opinion.
CONCLUSION:
Personally, Lviv was perfect for me. I needed to step back from all the partying I had done for years prior, work on building up my finances, work on my body, and understand what it’s like to live in a traditional culture with regular people who have not been destroyed by Westernization.
When I first arrived…I had some severe scars from being in bad relationships, abusing my body with rampant drug and alcohol use, and finances that had been decimated from living in major cities in Western Europe. I was thoroughly mixed up at this point in my life, and seriously at risk for going downhill fast.
Since then, I paid off my student loans and built up a nice cushion of emergency money. I gained 30 pounds (mostly muscle) thanks to inexpensive proteins and lots of free time to hit the gym. Illegal drugs aren’t as common here minus weed, so I nipped most of my bad habits in the bud right then and there.
And of course, I met a great lady who has been the best girl I’ve ever dated in my life. She showed me how a genuine relationship is supposed to be. Lviv forever has an exceptional place in my heart.
Today, I emerge as a new person. Everyone who knows me when I first came here tells me I’m unrecognizable today from how I was then. I can thank this town for that.
In the end, I’ve found that where you live should directly tie into what exactly it is you are doing in life. For this reason, I’m parting ways with Lviv for now, as it is not serving my mission in the same way it was last year with getting my life back on track. This is sad, but all things must come to an end.
That is not to say I will never come back. In the back of my mind, I know I can always come back here, and feel right at home.
For someone looking to lay low for a bit, run some game, and devote some time to self-development, Lviv is genuinely a great town. A five-star lifestyle is possible for a two-star price.
Lviv healed me, and I hope some of you go on to have a special relationship with it as I have.